


He Used To Be Mine

by bellamyblaek



Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1980s, Alternate Universe - Heathers, Alternate Universe - High School, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, ed is veronica, murder boyfriends, oswald is jd
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-22
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2018-12-18 16:12:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11878116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bellamyblaek/pseuds/bellamyblaek
Summary: If Edward Nygma could turn back time, his senior year never would've happened.





	1. Beautiful

_September 1st, 1989_

_Dear Diary,_   
_I believe I'm a good person. You know, I think there's good in everyone, but - here we are! First day of senior year! And.. I look around at these kids that I've known all my life and I ask myself - what happened?_

 

Ed shoved his pen in his back pocket as he made his way into the cafeteria line. He clutched his beloved green leather diary tightly, afraid that someone would take it.

Not that what he had in there was embarrassing, or anything.

Heh.

Ed peered around the cafeteria, looking at his peers. He saw Jonathan Crane (the "freak"), that girl Liza (the "slut"), Jervis Tetch (the "burnout"), Harvey Dent ("bug-eyes"), Silver St. Cloud (the "poser") and Harvey Bullock ("lard-ass"). He wondered if anyone other than him even remembered their names anymore. He counted himself lucky not to be branded as anything. Sure, he was still subjected to teasing and taunting. But it wasn't nearly as bad as what some of the other kids got.

He stood in line, reminiscing on kindergarten.

He remembered how easy things were back then. Back when Sarah was just Sarah, not "loser Sarah", and Bruce was just Bruce, not "short bus." Everyone got along, and they were happy. But then they grew up.

Ed couldn't wait to graduate. He was a smart kid, almost guaranteed acceptance into an Ivy League school. He smiled to himself at the thought - ivy-covered walls, smoky French cafés.. it was going to be paradise.

The illustrious tones of Selina Kyle broke him out of his fantasy.

"Watch it!" she warned, glaring at Ed as she dusted off the Letterman jacket she wore over her Arkham High cheer uniform. She stood still for a second, as if she were considering something, before smacking Ed's red plastic tray out of his hands.

"Oops," she giggled.

Ed groaned as he reached down to retrieve the tray. Selina was head cheerleader since her Freshman year (and head bitch since 4th Grade). She pushed ahead of Ed, probably to join her friends from the cheer squad in line.

Suddenly, Ed spotted Kristen approaching.

"Hey, Miss Kringle," Ed beamed at the girl.

"Hey," she smiled back, joining up with Ed in the queue. Kristen had been Ed's best friend since they were babies. They decided one day to call each other by their surnames, and it just sort of.. stuck. It confused everyone, but they didn't really care. Ed had always thought that Kristin was beautiful, with her auburn hair and pale skin. He probably would've had a crush on her, too, if he wasn't into boys. Fortunately, she also favoured the same sex, so there was no awkward unrequited love disturbing their friendship. They were happy.

"We on for movie night?" Kristen smiled at Ed as they began to move up in line.

"Yeah!" the boy smiled. "You're getting the snacks, remember?"

"Of course I remembered!" she exclaimed. "I got it all - Jiffy Pop, Reese's pieces, Tab.. I think we're good. Oh! And I rented the Princess Bride!"

"Again?" Ed chuckled. "Don't you, like, have that memorised by now?"

"Hey, don't laugh!" Kristen blushed, playfully pushing Ed's shoulder. "It's a good movie! You know I love a good happy ending."

Ed and Kristen's conversation was interrupted by Ivy Pepper, one of Selina's cheerleader buddies, approaching them.

"Hey look! It's Kristen Four-Eyes!" she jeered, knocking the girl's lunch tray from her hands. Believe it or not, Ivy was the smartest girl on the cheer squad (not that that was that great of an achievement).

"Pick that up!" Ed glared at the red-haired girl. She stared at him, a look of faux shock falling across her face.

"I-I'm sorry," she scoffed, green eyes wide. "It's just - wow, this is embarrassing - it's just that, I, uh, I thought for a second you were seriously _talking_ to me?"

"I was actually," Ed responded. "I want to know what makes you think you can treat my friend like that! You think you're so great, with your pom poms and your short skirt, but you're going to be nothing in a few years. _Nothing_. You'll be washing Kristen's car by the time you're twenty-five."

"Um.. you have a huge zit," Ivy laughed, jabbing at Ed's forehead, seeming to completely ignore his rant. He felt his face turn red. Ivy and some of the other kids in line began to laugh as she walked off.

Suddenly, the room went quiet.

The sound of stomping boots and clicking heels sounded from outside the cafeteria door, as Jerome Valeska and his band of bitches (also known as the "Maniax" for some unknown reason. Every student had their own theory. Ed favoured the one that they were all both psychotic and terrible at spelling) entered the large hall.

These three were like _gods_ to the rest of the students. They were simultaneously the best and the worst. First, there was Barbara Kean. Daughter of rich parents, captain of the volleyball team. Then there was Tabitha Galavan. She didn't really do much, but her mom payed for all her cosmetic surgery, so she was pretty well respected. Finally, there was Jerome. King of the school.

He was probably the worst person Ed had ever met.

These three were the most respected and admired of all of the student body. They were never bothered, nor harassed. Ed would've killed for the opportunity to even _taste_ what it was like to live his life like that.

He shook his head, clutched his tray, and made his way to the counter to get food.

 

*

 

One of the most interesting things about Arkham High School was its decision to invest in gender-neutral bathrooms. There was no real reason behind it, other than teachers being sick of doling out detentions for kids being caught screwing in the bathroom. ("If they're gonna do it, we may as well use it to our advantage. Half the bathrooms means half the cleaning costs.")

Ed wandered into the bathroom after lunch, and managed to end up there at the same time as the Maniax.

He made his way into a stall, apparently going unnoticed by the group of teens, who were far too engrossed in their own world to even notice him. The sound of Tabitha Galavan vomiting in the next stall didn't really surprise him.

"Ugh," Ed heard Jerome groan from outside. "Grow up, Tabby. Bulimia is so '87."

"Maybe you should see a doctor, Tabby.." Barbara was in the stall with the girl. She sounded genuinely concerned, which took Ed by surprise. He didn't think the Maniax were capable of such sympathy.

"Yeah Barbara," the mocking in Tabitha's voice was obvious. There was the attitude Ed was used to. "Maybe I should."

"Ah," a thick British accent came from outside the stall. _Mr. Pennyworth_. "Jerome Valeska."

Tabitha vomited again.

"..And Babs and Tabs, it seems." 

You could almost _taste_ the disdain that his voice eminated. Then again, that could've just been Tabitha's regurgitated mac and cheese.

"Perhaps you didn't hear the bell over all the vomiting," the teacher continued. "You're late for class."

"Are you even allowed be in here, sir? Especially after all that business with the P.E. teacher and those poor kids two years ago," Jerome challenged. "Besides, Tabby wasn't feeling well. We're helping her."

"Not without a hall pass you're not," Mr. Pennyworth fought back, clearly used to behaviour like this, especially from kids like the Maniax. "And, Mr. Valeska, for your information, I am perfectly within my right to be here, thank you very much. Week's detention for you, sir. And you too, ladies."

Something clicked in Ed's mind as the altercation outside the stall door continued. He tore a page from inside his green journal, and began to scribble something down, quickly but carefully. He flushed the toilet and unlocked the door, handing the note to the teacher, who had since been joined by Barbara, and a rather pale looking Tabitha.

"Um, actually, Mr. Pennyworth, all four of us _are_ out on a hall pass," he explained, holding the note out to the aging British man in front of him, who snatched it right out of his hand. Ed felt a sensation of panic pass over his body before he added, "yearbook committee."

Mr. Pennyworth examined the note closely before looking back up at the four teenagers. Ed felt for a moment as if the man was staring him down, and the feeling of panic rose inside him again. Suddenly, the teacher's face softened as he handed him back the piece of paper.

"Well, I do apologise," he smiled, smoothing down his jacket. "You're all listed, but still.. hurry up. Get to class."

He gave the four a final hard stare before leaving. Immediately, Jerome snatched the paper from Ed's hands.

"This is an excellent forgery," the redhead observed, before snapping his head up to look at the unfamiliar boy. "Who _are_ you?"

"Uh.." Ed mumbled. He hadn't fully realised how nervous he was until that moment. Talking to one of the Maniax was like talking to a celebrity. He was _starstruck_. "Edward. Nygma. I crave a boon."

"What boon?" Jerome peered up at the brunette, giving him a look that was a surprising combination of curiosity and disgust, though the revulsion could easily be explained by the stench of the bathroom - it stank of vomit and faeces, and something else Edward couldn't identify (this was probably for the best).

"Let me sit at your table," the taller boy burst out. "Just once. No talking necessary. If people think you guys tolerate me, they'll leave me alone." Jerome opened his mouth to speak, and Ed burst in again.

"Before you answer, I also do report cards, permission slips, and absence notes."

The redhead looked impressed.

"What about prescriptions?" Tabitha asked.

"Shut up, Tabby," Jerome glared at the dark-haired girl.

"Sorry, Jerome," she rolled her eyes.

Jerome looked back at Edward, grabbing him by the chin and pulling his face down so it was in line with his own. Ed gulped nervously, as the redhead tilted his head to the left and right, humming in what Edward hoped was approval. He let go and stepped back. The brunette breathed a sigh of relief.

"For a pathetic gawky nerd, you have _fantastic_ cheekbones," Jerome observed with a nod. Barbara and Tabitha stepped closer to the tall boy, taking a look for themselves. The blonde examined his face while the dark haired girl marched around him, surveying his body. If Ed were heterosexual, he would've loved this, getting felt up by two of the most beautiful girls at Arkham. Instead, he felt like a science project.

"And a symmetrical face," Barbara observed, her voice dreamy and distant. "If I took a meat cleaver down the centre of your skull, I'd have matching halves. That's very important."  
She nodded matter-of-factly. Ed started to realise why they were called the Maniax.

"Of course you could stand to gain a few pounds," Tabitha commented, running her hands over his lanky arms.

"You know what, girls?" Jerome started, smiling to himself. "I think we could be on to something here."

He stepped towards Ed, and removed the tall boy's glasses. He blinked, his vision blurry as the redhead ran his fingers through his hair, tousling it.  
Ed felt giddy with excitement.

"You ready to be one of us, Eddy?" Jerome smiled, stroking the boy's cheek fondly. He nodded eagerly in response.

"What are you doing tonight?" Barbara smiled as they began to leave the bathroom. Ed's head immediately went to movie night with Kristen. He was sure she'd understand. It's not every day you get asked to join the Maniax, right?

Besides, he'd seen The Princess Bride a hundred times.

"Nothing," he lied.

"Good," the blonde grinned. "Because we gotta take you shopping!"

 

 *

 

 

When Ed arrived back from shopping with the Maniax that evening, he felt better than he ever had in his whole life. The group were known for their matching blazers, and they weren't going to let Ed away with not owning one.

_"I think green will look fab on you, Eddy," Barbara had told him._

_"Oh yes," Jerome had added. "How.. very."_

As soon as he stepped in the door, Edward's parents hounded him with questions.

"Where were you all day?"

"Who were you with?"

"What's this? Christ, it looks expensive. Where did you get the money from?"

"Are you hungry? I made a casserole."

"Yeah, casserole would be great, thanks Mom," Ed smiled, shrugging off his jacket as he took a seat at the kitchen table.

"Your girlfriend called," Ed's dad offered, as his wife served the teenager a plate she'd just removed from the oven. Ed rolled his eyes. Despite the fact that neither him nor Kristen had ever shown even the slightest indication that they were romantically interested in each other, Mr. and Mrs. Nygma continued to insist that they were a couple. The boy chose to ignore his father's comment, deciding instead to tuck into his dinner. It wasn't until after his second bite that it fully hit him what he'd just been told.

_Kristen called._

The brunette leaped up from the table and rushed into the hall to call his best friend, disregarding his mother's protests. He speedily dialled the girl's number, his hands trembling. He felt awful.

Kristen picked up on the fifth ring.

"Hello?" she asked. Ed could hear Milli Vanilli playing on the radio in the background.

"Hey, Miss Kringle. It's me."

"Nygma?" she turned down the noise of the radio, relief evident in her voice. "Oh my God, are you okay? When you didn't come over I rang your parents, a-and they said you never came home! I was so worried, it's not like you not to show.."

"Yeah," Ed responded, rubbing his left temple with his spare hand. "Yeah, Kringle. I'm fine. I, uh, I had other plans, and I forgot to tell you. I'm sorry."

"Oh," the girl sounded dejected. "Okay. Some other time then?"

"Yeah," Ed forced a smile. He hoped she couldn't hear it in his voice. "I'd like that."

"Bye, Mr. Nygma."

"Bye, Miss Kringle."

She hung up, and Ed returned to the kitchen.

 

*

 

Lunchtime at Arkham High on September 2nd 1989 was both similar to the day before, and strikingly different. Of course, the usual hell took place - barely edible food, bitchy cheerleaders, asshole jocks.. But at precisely 3 minutes after 12, Mr. Pennyworth asked a question that was about to change the school's entire social outlook.

"Who's that with Jerome?"

The students craned their necks in a desperate attempt to have a look at this mysterious new member of the Maniax.

Jerome entered, wearing his red blazer and headband with pride. Tabitha strutted in behind him, decked out in blue, followed by Barbara in yellow, and finally, Ed, bringing up the rear in his shiny new green ensemble. An indistinct chatter erupted amongst the students. Ed strained his ears, trying to get a vague idea of what his peers thought of him now. The general reaction he got from boys was: "who is he?", and the consensus among the majority of girls (and a few boys, much to Ed's delight) was that he was a 'babe'.

After a few seconds of this excited chatter, Ed heard a familiar voice.

"Ed?"

It was Kristen, and, probably for the first time in her life, she brought an entire room to a standstill. He smiled at his best friend as his classmates peered at him, some recognising him, others not. He felt like he was in a dream. Somewhere among the weightlessness, Barbara and Tabitha managed to bring him to their table. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ivy Pepper staring at him, a fork placed between her teeth.

He just smirked.


	2. Candy Store

_September 22nd, 1989_

_Dear Diary,_

  
_It’s been three weeks since I became friends with the Maniax. Well, actually, “friends” isn’t exactly the right word. It’s more like the Maniax are people who I work with, and our job is being popular and shit._

 

  
The bell rang, signalling the end of class, and causing Ed to flip his journal shut, tucking his pen behind his ear and vowing to finish his entry later.

“Hey Nygma,” a perky female voice called, prompting the boy to look up. It was Kristen, but he knew that already. No one else called him by his last name. “You really do look handsome these days..” the girl continued, gesturing to his green blazer and matching trousers. There was a twinge of sadness in her voice that caused a stabbing sensation in his chest.

  
“Oh, thank you,” he blushed. “But it’s still the same me underneath.”

  
“Are you sure?” she asked. She seemed nervous. She had never been like this around him before. He didn’t like it.

  
“Yeah,” he frowned. “Look, I’m really sorry that I flaked on movie night last week. And the week before that.. I just, I’ve had a lot going on.”

  
“I get that!” Kristen reassured. She was so timid. Their exchanges had never been uncomfortable before, and Ed resented the fact that they had begun to become awkward. “You’re with the Maniax now. That’s exciting.”

  
“It’s whatever,” he brushed off the label. He really didn’t want her to see him as any different. “We’ll hang out soon, okay? I promise.”

Their exchange was cut short by a rather impatient sounding Tabitha Galavan striding up behind Ed, calling his name. He turned to face her, and she smiled coyly.  
“Jerome says to haul ass to the table. Pronto.”

  
“How.. very,” he sighed, waving - rather pathetically - goodbye to his life-long best friend, as he followed the blue-clad girl to the table that the Maniax had long ago claimed as their own.

  
“Edward!” Jerome called, his voice booming. “I need a forgery in Selina Kyle’s handwriting.” Ed clutched his journal protectively to his chest as the redheaded boy continued. “You’ll need something to write on. Tabby? Bend over.”

  
The girl bent over obediently, and Ed walked around behind her, opening his journal on a blank page and laying it out on her back.

  
“Hello beautiful,” Jerome cooed, beginning his dictation. “I’ve been watching you, and thinking about us in the old days.”

  
The words Ed was transcribing sounded curiously sapphic to him, but he didn’t dare question Jerome’s intentions.

  
“I hope you can come to my homecoming party this weekend,” he continued, smirking to himself. “Miss you. Selina.”

  
Barbara and Tabitha were practically cackling at this point.

  
“Ooh!” Jerome added, gesturing toward the journal. “Put an ‘xo’ after the signature.” He joined his female minions in their laughter.

  
Ed did as he was told, finishing off the note with no questions asked - except for one.

“Who’s this for, anyway?”

  
“I just found out that Selina used to hang with Kristen Four-Eyes!” Jerome guffawed, as if this were some scandalous piece of exclusive gossip.

  
“Well, yeah,” Ed frowned, tearing the page from his journal and passing the expectant boy his note. “In kindergarten. We all did.”

  
“We all didn’t kiss on the kickball field,” Tabitha pointed out.

  
“Oh, that’s right! I remember,” Barbara butted in, a look of childish disgust on her face. “Selina kissed Kristen Four-Eyes. It was so.. disgusting. And _gay_.”

  
As the two girls giggled together, Selina Kyle and Ivy Pepper began to make their way into the cafeteria, walking conveniently past the Maniax’s table.

“Ugh,” Ivy groaned dreamily. “Honestly, Selina. I’d give anything to be the meat in a Jerome Valeska and Ed Nygma sandwich.”

  
“I’m right with you, girl,” Selina giggled, high-fiving her.

  
Ed suddenly lost his appetite.

  
“Seliiina!” Jerome called, flashing a white-toothed smile and waving his hand in the air. The curly-haired girl looked to her companion with a devious smile and strutted over to the boy. “Be a doll and give this note to Kristen Four-Eyes for me?”

  
“What? No!” Ed exclaimed, but it was too late.

  
“Since when do you talk to that nerd?” Selina asked, peering down at the note in disgust, going to open it as she started to walk away.

  
“No!” Jerome called, catching up to them. “Don’t read it. She’s really blocked up and wanted some advice from my doctor. She hasn’t pooped in a week.”

  
Ed choked back a laugh. Jerome was a terrible person, but his wits were extraordinarily quick.

  
“Ew, Jerome! What the hell?!” Selina and Ivy were positively repulsed, with the curly-haired girl throwing the note back at Ed - whose hand had been open and waiting for the piece of paper - as if it were an active bomb as they scuttled off.

“What are you doing?” Jerome glared at Ed.

  
“Please don’t do this,” he begged. “Not to Kristen.”

  
“Why?” Tabitha chimed in. “We all know she’s lesbian for Selina. It’ll give her shower nozzle masturbation material for weeks!”

  
“Shut up, Tabby!” Jerome demanded.

  
“Sorry, Jer..”

Ed turned to Jerome this time, pleading. “Yes, Kristen’s “lesbian for Selina”, or whatever, but she has been for, like, twelve years now, okay? This would kill her.”

  
“Are we gonna have a problem?” Jerome asked, peering up at Ed. Despite being taller, the brunette was terrified of the other boy. “You got a bone to pick? You’ve come so far Ed! Why are you suddenly pulling on my dick?” He gritted his teeth, beginning to glare. “Look, if you were anyone else I’d kill you right here, and let everyone watch. But I’m feeling nice, and I like you, so here’s a little word of advice, okay? I’m gorgeous, and I’m loaded. I do whatever the hell I want, and no one gives a shit, because I _run_ this fucking school. See that boy over there?” he pointed to a bookish freshman with a face full of pimples. “I beat him up yesterday. You wanna know why? Because I can.”

  
He gestured towards a girl, all legs with bouncy blonde curls, clad in the Arkham High cheer uniform. “I screwed her last night. Not that I was particularly interested in her or attracted to her, but simply _because I wanted to_. And she let me. Do you see where I’m going with this, Ed?

  
“I’m hot as shit, and I can do anything I want because of that. If you can’t deal with it, go run back home to Mommy and cry to her about it, yeah? Not me. You’d be nothing without me, right? We could have it all, Ed. You and me. We could have the head cheerleader in the back of my car tonight, half-naked with a six pack of beer, no questions asked, if you wanted. All you have to do is just let go of who you used to be, and join us!”

  
“The girls will be falling over you Ed,” Tabitha chimed in. “Hell, they already are.”

  
Ed could feel his cheeks reddening. Selina Kyle, or any other girl for that matter, was the last thing on Earth he wanted. But he couldn’t stop now, without ruining everything he’d managed to build for himself. He stayed. He listened.

  
“All you gotta do,” Jerome cooed, reaching up to stroke Ed’s cheek. “Is say goodbye to that nerdy freak of yours.”

  
“She’s not your friend, Ed,” Barbara added, looking him dead in the eye, her hands resting on her hips.

  
“Babs is right,” Tabitha offered. “Believe me, if precious little Kristen had the opportunity you do, she’d be gone. Like that.” She clicked her fingers for emphasis.

  
“But, of course, if you don't care,” Barbara sneered. “You can just go back to her. Rent a video, eat some popcorn.. be pathetic little losers together, _or_ you can forget about her and come for a drive with me and Tabby.”

  
“You got it, Eddy?” Jerome taunted. “You can join our team, live the dream of every student here at Arkham and roll with the Maniax, or you can keep bitching and moaning and die alone a pathetic little loser like _her_.”

He was pointing at Kristen, who was approaching the group with a wide grin on her face and a note in her hand. Ed looked down. His palms were empty. Someone must have taken the paper from him when he wasn't looking.

  
“Ed, look!” She grinned. She was practically radiant. “Selina invited me to her homecoming party! This _proves_ she’s been thinking about me!”

  
“Colour me stoked,” Ed sighed, forcing a smile. He was going to kill Jerome Valeska.

  
“I’m so happy!” The girl squealed, clutching the note with all her might. It was as if she thought that if she didn't, it would float away from her. She scuttled back off to her table, grinning all the while. Ed turned back to the Maniax.

“So, Ed, what’re you waiting f-” Tabitha started, a smirk plastered across her face.  
“Shut up, Tabby!” Jerome interrupted, glaring at the girl who seemed to sink back, submitting to him. “So, what’ll it be, Eddy?”

 


	3. Fight For Me

Ed stood looking at the three teenagers in front of him, representative of everything he’d ever wanted - popularity, respect, adoration. He couldn’t refuse that. He could never turn that offer down, it was too good.

But then he looked at Kristen. Poor, innocent, naïve little Kristen. She wouldn’t survive without him, she couldn’t. He sighed, looking despairingly between her and the Maniax. Jerome scoffed at the sight, rolling his eyes.

“Come on girls, we have someplace better to be.”

They strutted off, the admiring gazes of almost everyone in the cafeteria following them. Ed went to follow, meek and defeated, when he heard a voice.

“You shouldn’t have bowed down to the swatch dogs and diet coke heads. They’re gonna crush that girl.”

He whipped around, locking eyes with a fantastically unfamiliar boy sitting alone at a table. 

“I’m sorry, what?” Ed asked, his heart pounding with an obscure concoction of curiosity, intrigue and a hint of arousal. “I didn’t bow down to anyone!”

“Oh, you didn’t, huh? Keep telling yourself that. Don’t get me wrong, you’ve clearly got a soul, you just need to work hard keeping it clean. ‘We are all born marked for evil.’”

The boy slammed his book shut and got up from his table, slinging his bag over his shoulder as he prepared to leave. Ed suddenly felt himself filled with rage. Just exactly who did this boy think he was?

“Um, okay, don’t just quote Baudelaire at me and then walk away. Excuse me.”

The boy turned, and for the first time, Ed got a proper look at him. He was short - shorter than Ed anyway - maybe 5’6” or 5’7”. His hair was black, and gelled in such a way that it spiked in places, and gave him peculiar bangs that also seemed to spike. His eyes were a soft green, but if there was one thing Ed noticed about them it was the  _ pain  _ they carried inside them. They seemed to be crushed by it, like they were being held at breaking point. Ed’s heart fluttered. He sensed danger and he wanted to run to it, to caress it and hold it and embrace in every sense of the word. 

“I didn’t catch your name..”

“I didn’t throw it,” the boy responded coldly, opening his book again and occupying another empty space in the cafeteria.

His comment had hit Ed like a slap to the face. From across the crowded room, he could vaguely make out a conversation between Selina and Ivy.

“Who does that guy in the jacket think he is anyway? Bo Diddley?” Ivy scoffed, her teeth slamming down on the gum in her mouth.

“Ed’s into his act, no doubt!” Selina responded. “I think he might be one of those queer types, Ivy. What a waste!”

“Wanna kick his ass, Sel? You know how I feel about fags in my school.”

“Nah, we’re seniors now. We’re too old for that shit.”

Ivy rolled her eyes and approached the new boy regardless.

“ _ Hey _ , honey,” she grinned, perching on top of his empty table with a giggle. “What did your boyfriend say when you told him you were moving to Sherwood, Ohio?”

The boy carefully closed his book, peering up at the red-haired girl in confusion.

“My girl Ivy just asked you a question, newbie,” Selina added, taking a seat next to her.

“Hey Selina, doesn’t this cafeteria have a ‘no fags allowed’ rule?”

“They seem to have an open-door policy for bitches though,” the boy quipped, looking at both girls totally unphased. Ed began to slowly creep towards the trio.

“You take his arms, honey,” Ivy smirked.

And with those five little words, all hell broke loose.

The boy used his book to slap Selina down, who had attempted to pin him down by his arms. When she was down, he whipped around and knocked Ivy clean on her ass in turn. The brunette struggled, trying to pull herself up, but the boy knocked her back down again. Ed watched from afar, his heart feeling strange, alive with the onset of a crush. He knew the fight was unfair - two girls against one guy - but he didn’t necessarily know  _ who _ it was unfair for.

 

A chorus of  _ holy shit _ s broke out amongst the students in the cafeteria, each one trying to get a peek at this strange new student who somehow managed to pick a fight with Gotham’s toughest cheerleaders. But for Ed, at that moment, time seemed to stand still. All he could see was this beautiful, wonderful, mysterious boy, who looked far too skinny and awkward to be fighting with anyone, yet who was somehow managing to take on two of the dirtiest fighters Ed knew.

Everything he had yearned to meet this boy, to really talk to and get to know him. He didn’t even know if he was into boys. Hell, he didn’t even care. This boy was a breath of fresh air, a new breed of thinking, a flaw in the system. The few words he had shared with Ed had got the emerald-clad boy’s blood flowing, his mind racing, his heart pounding. It was a high unlike anything Ed had or ever will experience. He craved it. 

It wasn’t even sexual, and it was even further from romantic. Something inside him felt as if meeting this boy was a milestone in his life - a criteria fulfilled, a box ticked. He was an obligation - knowing him was a requirement. Whatever being or force was drawing Ed to this boy so strongly, well, call him a believer, because Ed was ready to get down on his knees to love and serve the Lord. He would know this boy. It wasn’t a must, not even a wanted to. It was a  _ would _ .

The world slowly began to come back into focus. Ed saw the boy, fighting the cheerleaders, but he also saw the others. He saw the Maniax, standing reproachfully, as usual, but onlooking nonetheless. He saw Kristen, staring dreamily at Selina. He saw nameless, faceless kids standing with gaping mouths, desperately trying to see who this new kid was, and just exactly what he thought he was doing.

Ed watched as one of the girls took a swing at the boy, and he avoided it with ease, smirking at her and gripping her in a headlock. At this point, he knew he had reached the point of no return. He had to know who this boy was.

 

*

 

“God, Ed, homo much? You were totally popping a stiffy at that new kid!”

It was later that evening, in Ed’s backyard, that Jerome Valeska ran the risk of exposing his big secret. The girls giggled, croquet sticks in hand, while Ed’s cheeks flamed almost as bright as Jerome’s clothes.

“And, judging by your house, you can’t afford to replace those pants you jizzed all over.”

When his comment went unappreciated, Jerome whipped his head around to face his two female companions, who burst into a fit of obviously forced giggles in response to his murderous glare.

“Hey!” Ed objected. “It’s not like that. I-I just think he seems like a cool guy, y’know? I don’t even know his name..”

“Ugh, whatever,” Jerome responded, rolling his eyes as he bent down, hitting the ball with his stick just as Ed’s parents made their way into the garden.

“Mr. and Mrs. Nygma, watch out,” he cooed sarcastically.

“Oh!” Ed’s mother pipped, swiftly retrieving the ball and handing it back to Jerome with a chuckle. “There you go, kids! Care for some pâté?”

She was carrying a tray with her homemade pâté and toast, one of Ed’s favourites. Jerome, however, looked at it with disgust.

“That’s not pâté, that’s liverwurst.”

“I’m aware of that, Jerome,” Mrs. Nygma started to giggle, though her face was nearly as red as her son’s. “It’s a family joke.”

“Oh,” Jerome replied flatly. “Funny.”

Ed began to walk towards his mother and his newfound friend when he heard his father cry out: “Damn it! Will somebody please tell me why I read this spy crap?” 

He was engrossed in the latest Tom Clancy, and, for as long as Ed had been alive, his father had been an over-enthusiastic reader. This was something he could really have done without in front of the Maniax.

“Um, because you’re an idiot, dad.”

“Oh yeah..” he laughed. “That’s it.”

The three Nygmas began to collapse into giggles - Ed’s being those of relief, while his parents sounded as if someone (if anyone, it was Jerome) had put a gun to their head and told a knock-knock joke. It was a laugh Ed never wanted to hear from either of them again. It made him hate himself.

“So kids,” Ed’s mother began, changing the subject much to her son’s relief. “Any big plans for tonight?”

“Um yeah,” Ed replied, already grinning. “There’s a big homecoming party at Selina Kyle’s house tonight. I’m gonna catch a ride with Jerome.”

“Speaking of which..” Jerome smirked, “accidentally” depositing the croquet ball into Mrs. Nygma’s pâté, before leading the two girls back into the Nygmas’ house.

“Um..” Ed began, scratching the back of his neck as he awkwardly glanced back at his friends. “Great pâté, mom, but, uh, I gotta motor if we want to be ready in time for Selina’s party..”

He spun around on his heel, ready to leave, before his mother grabbed his arm. He turned back around to look at her, and the pleading gaze in her eyes startled him for a second.

“Don’t let these popular kids change you,” she demanded through gritted teeth.

“I need them.”

“What for? You have other friends. You have Kristen.”

“Maybe I want more out of life than liverwurst, Mom.”

 

And with that, he pulled away from his mother, storming off to join the Maniax.

 


End file.
